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When you think of unions, you probably think of blue-collar trucker types, auto workers, or maybe teachers. You probably don't imagine the hippy stoners currently employed by the country's semi-legal pot dispensaries. Believe it or not, the United Food and Commercial Workers union has been crucial in staffing those dispensaries, and already counts as members some 3,000 pot workers, writes John Ford at PolicyMic in a post spotted by Andrew Sullivan—and "it is actually a match made in heaven."

Each side has something the other desperately needs. With union membership trending downward, the UFCW desperately needs a source of fresh blood, and the marijuana industry represents a great growth bet. Marijuana dispensaries, meanwhile, crave legitimacy and lobbying muscle. The UFCW can provide both, so in a "seemingly contradictory" move, business owners are actively seeking to organize their workers. Someday, when marijuana is fully legal and less laid-back CEOs take over, they may regret that, "but for now, pot seems to have found a valuable ally." Click for the full column.

The oil companies are fighting behind the scenes against legalization of hemp. If their non-biodegradable plastic product market gets a significant hit, the price of gasoline will skyrocket to make up the difference. if bio-degradable hemp plastics take over the business, at least the Great Pacific Garbage Patch might decrease in size. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch

Bill Inaz

Feb 21, 2013 4:29 PM CST

The first thing that should have been done is for the government to get off our backs and simply say "we don't have anything to do with this anymore". Deal with it.

DougMasters

Feb 21, 2013 3:07 PM CST

The growing industry needs to be protected against corporations of any kind. We need to as a country protect some sort of industry. It should not be something we except in trade from other countries. Only something we export and sell to our own. It should be something that only Americans can grow and sell. Size of these corporations should be kept at a minimum. The business should not even be supported by foreign entities for any reason. It should only be owned and operated by 100 percent home grown operations and corporations. For all products associated with the plant not just the pot.